I am an ecosystem ecologist and conservation ethicist interested in advancing our understanding of the natural world. My work focuses on how animals interact with and shape the ecosystems they inhabit. My current projects examine the role of large mammals—such as elk, caribou, and mule deer—in elemental cycling, along with how restoring large mammal communities affects ecosystem function. My projects span various northern ecosystems, exploring questions like how caribou affect nitrogen cycles on a small island off Newfoundland and how Rewilding grazers shape patterns of biodiversity. I also have an interest in conservation ethics, where I use tools and frameworks from philosophy to interrogate the underlying norms of conservation and ecology.
*co-supervised by Shawn Leroux
Kristy is now a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan